Yep, Another Pokemon Journey
by shianen
Summary: I know, another Pokémon OC-Centered story! But, let's bring in your OC's as well for the journey, give the story a few twist, make it a little bit more mature than the television show, and see how it goes! Details are one (or two) click/s away.
1. The Beginning!

Hi everyone! welcome to my story, as I diverge away from my typical scene and try something I have been meaning to do for a few years. I'm really excited to do this and see how far I can go, alongside some of your characters of course!

A bit more detail about the story: My character, alongside yours, will obviously have their own goals as a trainer, or maybe they want to be contest winners primarily, or are just focused on learning about Pokémon. In the application (which is on my profile page) I give you guys the option to put what your character wants to do on their time in the story, whether it be for a chapter or for the majority of the plot. This is going to take place in the Kanto region, because who doesn't love Kanto? That being said, though, characters are free to have Pokémon from any region (even though I'm the least familiar with Alola)! Depending on the Pokémon you have will determine where your character will be placed in terms of storyline (so the stronger your Pokémon the later you will arrive OR I will have you catch that [or those] particular Pokémon throughout the series if I really want/need your character earlier).

Just a final note: I am currently a full-time college student, and I really set myself up for a load of work as a double major with a minor because I suck, so please please don't give on this story until I say to (haha). If you check out the only other active story I am currently working on, you'll see I update that typically every other month, though even that is inconsistent. At the moment I'm on summer break and wanted to start something new.

So here's an introduction to the story, and if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a review or PM me! And speaking of, if you do send in a character, please do that by PM only. Thanks so much!

* * *

The mornings were never a problem. They were probably her favorite time of day. More-so, the issue was getting out of bed to do anything and everything. Her alarm was the most annoying, plain alarm sound in the entire world. Or at least for the residents of Pallet Town, since the sound stretched on and on for several minutes until a hand slapped the alarm off, before reverting back into it's position underneath thick blankets. And then the alarm would go off again, and a hand would come up and slap it off. This pattern would continue for up to fifteen minutes before the girl _clicked_ the alarm off the right way and began her morning routine.

Today was a little bit different.

When the alarm went off today, the girl immediately turned it off correctly, and shot out of bed. Speeding into her bathroom, she kicked the door shut and immediately sat on the toilet to pee. Afterwards, she flushed it and stood at her sink. Directly across from her was a medicine cabinet, with a mirror attached on the front.

She looked at herself for awhile. There was drool dried up on her caramel-skin, thin lips in a straight line. Light brown eyes glanced at her dyed-honey blonde hair, which was always messier in the morning and fell just beneath her shoulders. Standing on the shorter side, about 5'3, her developing hourglass figure could be seen with the dark-colored tank top she wore with grey sweatpants. The teenager made a face at herself and tried to wipe the drool off, before she realized it was dried. So, she grabbed her washcloth and wet it. Scrubbing at her face, she directed a lot of her attention to the bottom half of her face. When she finished, she opened the cabinet and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed her teeth at all angles, including her tongue. Afterwards, she rinsed her mouth and threw the toothbrush in the trash bin located a few feet away. She kept the toothpaste in her hand.

"Okay," The girl spoke breathlessly, staring at herself again in the mirror. "Today is the day. No need to freak." She told herself, beginning to smile. "Moe, you're gonna become a Pokémon trainer today. Not just any trainer, but the best one in Kanto." The girl paused. "Hell, you're gonna be the best in the world. Get ready."

* * *

Moe loved the color blue. Glittery, ocean blue was her favorite type. There was something really calming about it, plus she loved the beach, and water, and swimming. Really, a lot of things that included the color blue she was a fan. So when she moved into this home, she made sure her bedroom was painted blue. It was located on the second floor, and the walls looked fresh, like it was recently painted. There were a few Pokémon plushies scattered around the bedroom on shelves, and the window was open, allowing the sea-foam-colored curtains to sway with the incoming air. Across from the window was Moe's bed, now made up and looking like no one actually ever slept there. The owner of the room was crouching on the floor in front of a black backpack, stuffing a few more items into it. Finally, she zipped it shut and stood up straight, placing her hands on her waist. Unlike earlier, she was no longer wearing pajamas but now more casual clothing. A plain grey sweater and black joggers with white tennis sneakers. Tied tightly around her waist was a red flannel. Propped on her head were sunglasses, but her messy hair made them hard to see at first.

She sighed, looking at the backpack, before grabbing one strap and throwing it around so it landed on her back, slipping her arm on one side and the other arm in when the bag landed on her bag. The faux-blonde stared at her room with a lopsided frown; her eyes didn't depict any indication she would miss the room. Then, she walked out and shut the door.

* * *

Speeding down the stairs, the teen walked into her living room, and took a quick glance at the generic furniture before turning into the kitchen. There were an ensemble of fruit laid out on the counter with a note attached to it. Moe picked up the note and began to read it aloud.

" _Dear Moe. Today is the big day. Have lots of fun, make friends, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. You can always come back home if you need to. Mom._ " She read over the note and breathed heavily through her nose, before she folded it and stuffed it in her pocket. She smiled a bit more at the fruit on the table, since they were all her favorites. Deciding on a green, apple, she picked it up and washed it off at the sink before taking a bite.

Moe leaned on the counter, continuing to eat the apple. She didn't have too many thoughts lapping around her head, though she did wish her mom was home to see her off. There was nothing she could do about that though. Quickly finishing the apple, Moe threw it out before grabbing the keys off of the island counter and opening the refrigerator, picking up her reusable bottle of water.

After she shut the fridge door, Moe stared at a single picture on the fridge of an older woman and a Pokémon, a beautiful Ninetales.

Finally, she turned around and stared, quietly, at the silence of the kitchen. Then, she turned around and walked out the front door.

* * *

Hi all! Hopefully this introduction gave you a good insight on my writing style and if you would be interested in sending a character in. Again, the application is on my homepage and if you have any questions feel free to ask! This is an extremely short chapter, but it is only the beginning. The more that happens, the longer the chapters will be. I plan on having then around 5k each, which is dope and consistent with my other active story.

Finally, my main character is about sixteen (yes, I'm altering the age Pokémon trainers begin their journey. I don't feel like writing about a bunch of ten-year-olds running around haha) so if you make an application, have your character around that same age-range.

Anyways, see you all soon!


	2. Okay This is the Real Beginning!

hi all! sorry about the pretty decent delay of this, I actually went on vacation for awhile so I wasn't exactly writing, haha. I did come up with some ideas I plan on implementing into this story as it continues, though!

I'm about 140 shy of 5k, which was my goal. Hoping I hit it next time!

Anyways, here is the chapter. For reference, if your character isn't in this chapter then there's the possibility they will appear later in the story!

Finally, I don't own Pokémon! I'm just a big fan of the franchise!

* * *

It was hot. Hotter than usual.

Moe had to roll up her sweater's sleeves it order to cool down. The backpack she was lugging didn't help solve the issue at hand. If anything, it made her back sweat. Overall, she felt gross.

In her head, she thanked her mother they lived so close to the Professor's lab because this heat was sticky. Aloud, she mumbled, "Why did I choose to wear black joggers? I have to change as soon as I get inside. Or maybe after I get my starter." As she talked to herself, she pulled the sunglasses from out of her hair and onto her face.

As she got closer to her destination, a humming sound from a far distance began to get closer. Moe stopped, and looked around, assuming it was a bug-type Pokémon of some sort. When it got closer, she looked up.

The grass around her was separating from the strength of the air. Soon enough, a huge piece of metal passed over her. Because she was wearing her sunglasses, the air didn't have too much of an effect on her sight. She recognized the aircraft as a helicopter.

"What the...?" Moe began to say. Before she could finish her sentence though, the helicopter flew away from her, off in the direction of North.

She stared at the sky for a bit, watching flying-type Pokémon look like specs in the sun.

The helicopter engendered an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, one that she couldn't place currently. As soon as the feeling came, it passed. Then, Moe began looking in front of her again and started walking, confused.

* * *

Moe thought of the television special she watched last night, where Professor Oak announced the newest class of Pokémon trainers would begin their journey the following morning and gave some details about the available Pokémon. She already knew which one she had wanted before he revealed any of them on the television. The excitement she felt, the giddiness of her independent life beginning in less than twelve hours.

Passing by the little tan homes of Pallet Town and the forestry surrounding all of it, Moe realized there had been a girl walking in front of her for awhile. Her fair skin looked as if it could get sunburnt at any second from the pressing sun, but Moe could only tell from her arms. One of them was carrying a navy blue trench coat; the other arm was gripping onto the strap of her backpack. Her back was covered by her long, dangerously tangled black hair. Strolling beside her was an Eevee, stopping every few seconds to sniff the grass around it.

Moe couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Eevee. It was pretty adorable.

* * *

The Professor's lab was quickly approaching; Pallet Town was not big like some of the other cities in the region. It was a friendly environment, where everyone knew everyone and always greeted each other.

Moving to Pallet Town some time ago, Moe understood how nice the people here were and how they accepted Moe and her mother with open arms. It was a little creepy at first, how warm they were towards the newcomers. The duo became used to it though.

Not too many people moved into Pallet Town, and not too many people remembered it existed. Other than it's close connection to nature and the Professor's Lab, there weren't any huge stories connected to it. Personally, Moe enjoyed the serenity of it.

Looking down at her feet as she walked, the faux blonde teenager couldn't fight the giddiness that accrued intensity the closer she arrived to the lab. To have and befriend an actual Pokémon that was hers - what a concept. A pal, companion, a partn-.

"Fu-" Moe's thoughts were cut short by something heavy and wooden slamming into her face. As she reached up to grab her nose, she leaned back and the weight from her backpack caused her to topple backwards and fall onto her butt.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" A voice immediately responded.

Moe could hear the stranger fall onto the grass and kneel beside her. Not soon after there was a confused sound from a Pokémon. Probably the Eevee.

Her eyes closed, Moe took the sunglasses off of her face and opened her eyes. Then, she looked down at her sunglasses and saw that they were completely shattered.

"Crap, I'm really sorry!" Moe looked over to the person apologizing, and noticed it was the girl who was walking in front of her. She stared into the dark purple eyes of the female for a moment, before dropping the broken glasses and clutching her nose, consumed by pain.

She groaned for a moment. "Shit girl. You're stronger than you look." She breathed out of her nose, removing her hands from her nose and taking off her backpack, digging through it. "My bad for walking so close to you. I saw you from afar, I must've caught up." Finally, Moe pulled out another pair of glasses and put them on her face. The dull colors the sunglasses allowed gave Moe some remedy for the incoming headache.

The other girl stood up, and outstretched a hand toward Moe. The faux blonde grabbed the hand and forced herself back onto her feet. "I'm seriously really sorry about that. I'm assuming you're here to get a Pokémon from Professor Oak too. I really didn't have any malicious intention hitting you with the door, I just didn't know you were there." The girl paused to take a breath.

"I seriously hope you didn't break my nose. No worries though. When I was a kid I was a total klutz." Moe gave a lopsided grin, and nodded her head in the direction of the girl. "I'm Moe, by the way."

"Willow. A pleasure to meet you." Willow smiled politely.

The two walked toward the door. Moe side-stepped it as Willow opened it. The girl opening the door turned and looked behind her as she opened it and accidentally hit herself in the face.

Moe sighed, a smile on her face.

* * *

The two girls walked down a few hallways in order to find the main lounge where the Professor - and possibly any other teenagers - were.

"So," Moe started, now walking beside Willow, "I haven't seen you around before. Are you from another city?"

The ebony-haired girl tuned and looked at Moe. "I came from the Sinnoh Region."

Moe whistled. "That's pretty far North, right?"

As Willow answered the question with a head nod, Moe asked, "How long have you had the Eevee?"

At the sound of its name, the Pokémon looked up at Moe, and then back at its trainer.

Willow looked down at Eevee and smiled at it. "Oh, Indigo? For awhile! She's such a sweetheart."

Indigo smirked and raised her head a little higher. Willow looked over. "What about you? Do you have any Pokémon?"

Moe pouted her lips and crossed her arms as they walked. "Nah. Pokémon always came and went with us."

"Us?" The ebony-haired girl asked, casually looking around Moe.

"My mom and I." Moe responded, pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose.

Willow nodded her head and hummed in response, deciding not to ask anymore questions for the time being.

The slight natural awkward feeling of being around an unfamiliar person hung in the air as the two girls continued walking in silence before they eventually found a large door that obviously had the Professor on the other side.

The faux blonde grabbed on the door handle and pulled it towards her. "Finally!" She reacted to the door, letting her excitement give her voice some emotion. She held the door open for Willow, who smiled at her current companion and walked in, Indigo the Eevee following suit.

Lab workers and researchers were sitting at computers doing research or scrambling around the large room. Their energy was oddly electrifying to Moe. So many people passionate about Pokémon.

The two teens stalled at the door as it quietly closed behind them. Straight ahead was a girl, a boy, and an old man.

The first thing that caught Moe's attention was the young male's strikingly bright orange hair. The second thing is that she had to crane her neck to notice it, acknowledging his height and how he could maybe step on her if he tried.

And finally, the third thing caught both of the girl's attentions.

"Are you serious right now!? Like dead serious?" The two girls watched the third one throw her hands in the air angrily, shouting at the Professor.

He shrugged his shoulders before awkwardly laughing. "I'm afraid so. I feel as if you have a decent-enough starting team." He scratched his white hair, sticking up in all sorts of directions.

She grabbed his collar and brought the Professor down to her height. "Damn straight I have a decent team." She stared at him for awhile, before letting him go and crossing her arms. "You know what, I don't need a starter."

The Professor blinked, confused, and looked to the teenaged boy beside him.

He was messing around on two red fancy-looking gadgets, seemingly ignoring the other people in the room.

"Yo, Little Red Riding Hood."

The teenaged girl turned around, staring at Willow and Moe. Her red short bob really did collaborate well with the red zipped-up sweater she sported.

Attention refocusing, she marched to the two girls. "Which one of you said that?"

A caramel hand raised. "You need to chill out and not kill the Professor." Moe looked at the redhead with slight annoyance. "We're tryna get Pokémon today, so can you not be so salty about not getting one?"

"I am _not_ salty!" The girl crossed her arms. "And I am not a Little Red Riding Hood, so don't call me that."

Willow looked between the two girls slightly nervously.

Indigo seemed to be primarily focused on Willow's wellbeing.

Moe rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say Little Red."

The girl let out a groan of frustration. "My name is Wendy! Not Little Red." She looked around her. "You know what, I don't have time for this. I'm just gonna have the strongest Pokémon in this little region and become the next Pokémon Champion." After she stated this Wendy walked around the girls and began pushing the door.

"Not before I'm the Champion first." Moe called out with a smile, not turning back to see a reaction.

Before the door closed completely, there was a loud, "In your dreams!" that rang in the hallway before the door closed.

After a moment, Willow and Moe turned to look at each other. "That was an unexpected greeting to the Professor's Lab." Willow commented, laughing a bit.

"I know, and not even ten in the morning yet." Moe complained.

* * *

The duo walked up to the Professor, who was standing around with his head propped up on his hand. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, before he noticed the girls.

"Why, hello there!" He greeted pleasantly, as if the previous interaction never happened. "How are you two doing today? You are early, which is great! The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, Pokémon!"

Willow smiled wide, "Great, Professor!"

Moe raised her sunglasses and smiled at the Professor as a greeting, before returning them to hide her eyes.

His voice was loud and commanded attention in the room. Yet, it seemed when he talked none of his assistants or researchers seemed to care. "That's great! My name is Professor Oak. Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!"

"We've been living in this world for a hot minute, Professor." Moe mumbled.

Oak laughed. "Ahh, of course! But now it is time to live beside Pokémon. And I see one of you already does, so you can understand what I mean when I say living with and beside Pokémon is different!"

He looked over to Willow, and then kneeled down to Indigo, who was cautiously watching his every move. He held out his hand for her to smell. Indigo looked at it, before sniffing it. Oak then began to pet her lovingly, which led her to purr comfortably.

The black-haired girl smiled down at her Eevee, before looking at Moe. "He's kinda right. Life is a little different once you become a Pokémon trainer."

"Exactly!"

The girls were startled by the Professor's sudden raised voice as he shot back up. "You're exactly right! To be a Pokémon trainer is to be so many things, but especially courage, toughness, empathy, love. A Pokémon trainer must be there for their Pokémon, take care of them and help them grow to be their fullest potential. They travel Kanto, and maybe even other regions, and learn and discover other Pokémon and battle Gym Leaders and other Trainers alike."

"Were you a Pokémon trainer, Professor?" Willow asked him.

He paused for a moment, then began to scratch his chin. "Well, no -"

The faux-blonde leaned forward and grabbed onto her legs for support, letting out a huge sigh. Willow stared at the Professor, confused. "Wha-?"

"- but that doesn't mean I don't understand Pokémon. You see," Oak stretched his arms out, looking around in his lab, "I study Pokémon as a profession!"

"Yeah, we know Gramps." Moe spoke from her previous position. "That's why we call you Professor."

Professor Oak smiled widely again, putting his hands on his hips. "Fantastic! Well, tell me a little bit about yourselves! As you saw, I don't just hand out Pokémon to anyone y'know." Then, he crossed his arms.

Moe looked to Willow, who made no effort of speaking first. She crossed her arms and looked down.

"Sure thing." Moe raised her sunglasses so they pushed her hair back. She looked the Professor in his eyes. "My name is Moe, which is short for my actual name. For as long as I remember, Pokémon have only been in my life temporary, thanks to my mother's profession. So, I had come to the conclusion that when I was old enough I would have Pokémon of my own and call them my family, growing and training myself to be the best Pokémon trainer there ever was." The girl sighed. "I kinda already know I'm going to be a Pokémon Master, but I'm not if I wanna completely focus on that or do something else too." Finally, Moe threw her arm around Willow, who awkwardly stood straight up and looked at the other girl. "This is my new friend, Willow. She's a bit shy, but is a cool person and loves Pokémon just as much as me. And the cutie pie next to her is Indigo, who has been Willow's partner for these past few months."

The Eevee brushed its head against Moe's leg.

Oak stared at the two girls with his arms still crossed. He looked to Moe, who looked right back. She released her side-embrace with Willow, who looked slightly uncomfortable. "Professor Oak -."

He cut the blonde off. "Don't say another word!" Then, he turned around and picked up a box off of the steel table behind him. He turned around towards the girls and opened the box, three shining Pokémon balls sitting comfortably inside the cushioned box. "I have decided you are both worthy of taking a Pokémon starter and beginning, or continuing your journey into the wonderful world of Pokémon. Are you both ready?"

"Yes Professor." Moe quickly responded smiling, her stomach starting to get knots.

He smiled at them, moving the box towards them. "Wonderful! Now, before I allow you to pick, do you have any questions about Pokémon?"

Neither girl had an answer to his question. Yet, someone did answer it. "Professor, I have a question."

The three turned to the teenaged boy they all forgot was standing there. He finally looked up from his gadgets and was staring at Professor Oak. His blue-green eyes shined with curiosity.

Oak blinked, smiling and just as loud as before. "What is your question, William?"

"I've heard some rumors about Team Rocket. What's up with them?" He asked. William then looked to Moe and Willow and smiled at them.

Assuming it was a greeting, Willow smiled back and Moe nodded in his direction. Listening to the question, though, made Moe's mood a bit more negative.

She put her sunglasses back on her face to hide her eyes. "They're a bunch of nobodies." She said, directing everyone's attention to her. "Just some lowlifes who get pleasure out of stealing and abusing people's Pokémon."

"May is absolutely correct," Professor Oak nodded, ignoring Moe complaining about her name not being May, "they are thugs and criminals and if you ever see them, its best to avoid them or report them to the police. Organized crime is not something you want to get yourself involved with."

William nodded his head. "I completely agree. I hate people that think they can just take people's Pokémon for their own. It's sickening."

There was a odd-placed silence, where no one wanted to continuing commenting on Team Rocket, but instead nod their heads in agreement with the other people.

Professor Oak turned back to the girls. "So!" He started. "It's time to pick your starter Pokémon! You have the option of choosing Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle! What will it be?" He stretched his arms and the box towards the girls.

"You can go first." Moe turned to Willow, who was petting Indigo, "I'm not really sure which one I want."

Moe smiled. "You're a homie, thanks!" She turned back to Oak confidently. "I'll take Squirtle!"

"A fine choice!" Oak commented, watching Moe take the Pokéball and click on it, allowing the Squirtle to come out of the Pokéball.

It's light blue skin shined underneath the Professor's florescent lights. Looking around, it's big brown eyes focused on everyone around it for a few seconds before finally landing on Moe.

The girl pushed her sunglasses back on top of her head and fell to her knees, staring at the Squirtle, mouth opened. "What's up Little Dude?" She asked.

"Squirtle." The Pokémon turned to the grey-haired man calling its name. "That's Mary, your trainer. Be good to her, you hear me?"

The Pokémon walked towards the Professor and hugged its leg, before turning and walking back to Moe and staring at her.

Moe reached her hand out to Squirtle, allowing the Pokémon to sniff her hand before walking closer. "My name is Morgan, Little Dude." Moe smiled at it, speaking softly. "You and I are going to be unstoppable together, you hear me?"

Squirtle stared a bit longer, before slapping its three-digit blue hand on top of Moe's hand and smiling. "Squirtle Squirt!" It cheered happily.

The faux blonde smiled wide. "That's the spirit I like to see!" She picked up the Tiny Turtle Pokémon and stood up, and holding it above her. "These trainers don't know what's about to hit 'em, Little Dude." The Squirtle clapped in agreement.

Willow and Indigo watched, smiling. Indigo looked up at her trainer, head cocked to the side. The ebony-haired girl felt the look her Pokémon was giving her and smiled dow at her, laughing nervously. "Yes of course that's how I felt when I met you Indigo!" Don't give me that look!"

William watched from where he was standing, a small smile on his face. Then, he opened one of the red gadget's he was holding, pointing it at the Squirtle. Afterwards, he began reading whatever was pictured on the screen it had.

Professor Oak was watching, intrigued, but a smile still on his face. He turned to Willow and Indigo, who were in the middle of a staring contest. "Excuse me, Miss." The two looked at the Professor. "Are you ready to pick your Pokémon?"

"Oh! Um," Willow looked from the box to Indigo, then back to the box, "you know what? I'll come back another day and pick out a Pokémon. I'm still not too sure which one I want."

The Professor stared at her, as if he knew something she didn't. Then, he closed the box. "Alrighty then!" He nearly-shouted in the lab. Though, none of his workers were affected by the changed volume of his voice.

The three teenagers and their Pokémon all turned and looked at him.

"I have a phenomenal idea!" He continued talking, going into his pockets and pulling out two red gadgets. "These are Pokédex. They -"

" -gather information about Pokémon that you catch or see, right?" Moe asked, finishing his sentence. She was still holding onto the Squirtle, who was comfortable in her arms.

Pokémon Oak smiled. "Yes, exactly! Like I said, I am a Pokémon Professor, so my job is to gather information about Pokémon, specifically in the Kanto region. But, I have only been to so many places and can only leave my Lab for so many days of the week." He outstretched his arms, holding the Pokédexes out for the two girls. "I want you two to take these with you on your journey and collect information about Pokémon during your travels. It would actually help me out a ton if you completed them and brought them back!"

Willow and Moe took the Pokédexes out of his hands. Whereas Willow took the time to push buttons and examine the piece of technology, Moe stuffed it in her pocket immediately after she got it.

"And, on top of all of that, I want William to accompany you as well!"

The boy looked at the Professor. "But Professor, I was told to stick with you."

Oak shook his head. "I am aware of what Jupiter wants and blah blah blah."

"You mean Professor Juniper?" William interrupted.

"But," Oak continued, ignoring the young boy, "you might as well travel with these young ladies and work on your Pokédex too, for research purposes of course! Plus, they need a strong man to be with them!"

"That's sexist, Professor." Moe called out, a bored expression on her face. She looked a bit happier when she turned to look at William, though. "Nice to meet you William. I'm Moe." She pulled a hand away from Squirtle and outstretched it towards William, who shook it.

"Can't wait to take this journey with you." William smiled.

"Now," the three teenagers turned to look at Oak, who looked at all three of them with a more serious expression, "your very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold. A world of dreams and adventures with Pokémon awaits you all." He paused. "I have complete faith that you all will make me proud."

William stuffed his Pokédex into his pocket. "How many times have you given this speech, Professor Oak?" He asked, only sounding slightly innocent.

Willow cracked a smile and looked at him. Moe snorted.

"Hey! Be quiet you!" Oak pouted his lips, before turning back to the teenagers. "Anyways, like I was saying, I have complete faith in you all. Remember to have fun while you're out there and most importantly, be safe."

He turned around and pressed a button. Suddenly, a long, thin, red table appeared from the floors as they separated, allowing it to come up. The top of it had a dome shape to it. Immediately, it opened up. Inside of it were some Pokéballs and potions.

Oak picked up five balls for each trainer and handed it to them. "Take these Pokéballs to catch Pokémon." He explained. "You cannot only have one or two Pokémon with you. The more the merrier. Though be aware you are only allowed to have six Pokémon with you at a time."

Each teenager put the Pokéballs in their own specific places. Then, Oak handed them five different potions.

"These are all for different statuses and if your Pokémon is especially weak. There is one for low health, a regular potion. Then there is one of each for if your Pokémon is paralyzed, put to sleep, frozen, burned, or poisoned. It's best to keep several of each on you at all times." He gave all of these to the trainers. "There are also berry forms of these potions, which tend to be more useful because Pokémon understand when to eat berries. They do not understand how to use potions, so you cannot give them these during a battle. Any questions?"

"Thanks Gramps." Moe smiled. "I have one final question for you."

"Of course!"

"Where's your bathroom at?"

* * *

Now wearing jean shorts, Moe steps outside of Professor Oak's lab, sunglasses back on her face.

Willow, Indigo, and William all meet her outside. William and Willow were talking to each other in short conversations before Moe came outside. Indigo and Squirtle are also speaking to each other, though it seems like Indigo is talking more than the Moe's Squirtle.

"Little Dude." Squirtle turns to look at its new trainer. "I got you a present." Moe kneeled down and pulled off her backpack, unzipping it and digging through it.

The Squirtle walked to Moe, curiously waiting to see what she was going to pull out. "Squirt?" It asked.

Moe pulled out a smaller pair of sunglasses. "These are for you." She put them on its face. "Now you're not only a Little Dude, but a cool one. Plus, we twin." The Squirtle ambled around to become used to the sunglasses.

"Where do you even get a pair of sunglasses that small from?" William asked.

The faux blonde laughed, not answering the question. She stood back up, looking in the direction of William and Willow. "You're funny, man." She commented.

He gave a lopsided grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Are you and Eevee gonna be joining us, Willow?" Moe asked.

The girl being questioned turned and looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean," Moe started, looking at her, "Professor Oak assumed we were traveling together, but I don't want to get in the way of whatever plans you have." She shrugged her shoulders. "You're more than welcome to hop aboard the ship sailing to the Elite Four, as far as I'm concerned you're a decent person. Plus Indigo is adorable. No pressure though."

The ebony-haired girl drew a hand through her long hair, detangling it as she did so, staying silent at first.

Moe wondered what she was thinking about. For a glimpse of a second, Moe could see her eyes contained a mixture of several emotions hard to individually pull away and describe. What she could tell was that it made her think about what she went through to get to this point in her life. Her body language was very concealed.

She almost didn't notice Willow walk towards her. "Shall we begin our journey?"

Moe looked towards the sky, beginning to smile. "There's no point of sticking around here anymore. Let's get moving folks. We have a lot to explore."

And like that, the five people and Pokémon began walking in the direction away from Professor Oak's Lab and from Pallet Town.

* * *

 _"God I'm so bored." A woman spoke, sitting close to the edge of a cliff. The capped hat she wore hid her face from the scorching sun. Beneath the cliff were rapid waters, crossing each other at different directions dangerously._

 _"Babe, relax." A man spoke. His muscles were extremely defined, and dark brown hair was sticking out of his hat. "We'll get something to do soon."_

 _The woman turned around, and on her hat was a big fat red "R". She glared at the man. "Don't tell me what to do. When is the Master going to allow us back into Celadon City? Cerulean City is so boring. There's nothing of importance here."_

 _Before she could continue speaking, a cell phone began to ring. Pulling a phone out of her pocket, she glanced at who the caller was before muting the phone and stuffing it back into her pocket._

 _The man walked over to her. "Who was that?"_

 _"No one." She answered quickly. Then, she added, "It wasn't a signal giving us the opportunity to go to Celadon, so it doesn't matter."_

 _He gave her a distrusting glance._

 _Suddenly, the two turned their heads upwards at a black steel helicopter flying past them._

 _Looking at each other, the man smiled at the woman. "Looks like a signal to me."_

 _She curled her lips back at him, and evil smirk playing on her lips._

* * *

And that's the end for now! How did you like it? Did you like it? What could be changed for the future chapters if you have any suggestions? I'm always open to anything!

Like I said, I'm always accepting different characters throughout this process, the application is on my profile! and _please_ PM it to me. don't leave a review unless you're a guest! there are a couple exceptions but typically PMing me is best.

Did you guys notice any references I made to the anime and/or games? There were a couple scattered in here, haha!

Well, see you guys for the next chapter! Thanks again for reading!


	3. Yes, This is the Next Beginning!

Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning in to the next installment of _Yep, Another Pokémon Journey_!

This chapter started with the beginning three lines of dialogue, and after watching a couple episodes of the Indigo League my excitement for this picked up a bit and three days later, here we are! Thank you to everyone who has submitted a character so far who has not been featured yet, I am keeping tabs on all of them and where they will fit in the story. As I was watching the episodes of the original series I noticed the absurd amount of filler episodes there were, so I definitely want to make sure to not have that many, with the exception for character development or answering any questions posed previously.

Without saying anymore, here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

An exasperated voice responded. "Positive."

A third voice commented, "I just feel like -."

"Look squad." Turning around to face the other two companions, Moe stares at the two of them through her sunglasses. Squirtle is comfortably hanging off her right shoulder. In her hands is a neatly unfolded map. "We're heading towards Viridian City. I know where it is, and I know which way we need to go. It's pretty much a straight line." She flaps the map around, almost uselessly. "My mom left me this map a couple days before she left, so if you guys think I need prescription glasses, let me know."

William reached out to grab the map. "You're getting really defensive about the map situation."

Moe pulled it back. "I'm not getting _defensive_ about a stupid map." She paused. "You don't even trust me!" She stood and pouted.

The teenaged boy scratched his hair uncomfortably. "I do trust you!"

"Fine, take it." She held the map out for William to take.

"Squirtle squirt." Squirtle turned its head away from William with the same attitude as its owner.

Willow and her Pokémon watched from afar. She should've known continuously asking the same question would eventually get a reaction out of the shorter girl. She should've also anticipated William including himself into the conversation too, though Moe's comment seemed to lower his mood significantly.

For the past two days, the trio had been traveling together towards Viridian City. Whereas Willow mostly stayed to herself, she observed Moe and William, just make sure neither of them were indecent people and treated Pokémon with respect. William seemed more interested in the Pokédex and the Pokémon they passed by, learning information about them, but more and more started talking to Moe and herself. Last night he read himself to sleep, which led to silly antics (conducted by Moe, naturally).

Something the two both shared was a slight need for anger management classes, in Willow's opinion.

The first night, William persisted about Team Rocket again, and began going on a fiery rage about her hatred for them.

* * *

"- _Pokémon are not meant to be taken! It's absolutely cruel that people believe they can own Pokémon without authorization. It just makes my stomach sick._ " William looked at Moe from across the fire they started.

The two sat on different logs, letting the fire in-between them settle. Indigo, Willow's Eevee, was sound asleep a few feet away from the fire. Close-by to it was Moe's Squirtle, laying on its stomach.

Snuggled in her sleeping bag, Willow was trying to fall asleep, but the two voices didn't help too much. It was slightly uncomfortable, eavesdropping on a conversation between two strangers.

Moe yawned, and put her hands behind her head. " _Hey man, I feel you. I think it's interesting how people choose and find themselves going down paths like that, though._ "

Though she tried to lighten up the mood, the nearly unbreathable tension emerging from William was still circling the area. He didn't respond for a few moments, before he suddenly spoke into the cooling air.

" _Morgan_."

At the seriousness of the tone, the faux-blonde looked at him. It didn't seem like many people used her real name, Willow thought. Moe didn't even use her real name unless it was for an important event, like introducing herself to her first Pokémon.

William stood up, towering over the fire. " _If given the opportunity, would you defeat Team Rocket?_ "

" _Would I?_ " Willow couldn't see Moe standing up quickly, or a spark in her eyes that wasn't ignited by the fire with a smile to match it. " _Man, those guys are hard to catch, and there's a lot of members, but I'll be damned if I let one of those goons get away from me._ "

He smiled. " _Good._ "

Willow assumed the boy was also making assessments about the characters he was forcefully surrounded by, and by the sound of it, he approved of Moe.

* * *

Unlike William, though, Moe's anger was much more sporadic and seemed to be a symptom of easily being annoyed. Something tiny could set her off, like tripping over grass or accidentally mishearing something someone said. Immediately after, though, she would revert back to what may not even be her cool, collected nature. If Willow could define it, she would call it more childish than William's anger. His seemed to be placed and have a real, concrete reason behind it.

All day, the two went back and forth like they've known each other for years or grew up together. For a second, Willow wondered if they were long-lost siblings, or just two loners who desperately craved social interaction.

As the three walked down the dirt path that supposedly lead to Viridian City, a flock of Spearow flew above them, calling out.

"I'm thinking about catching a Pidgey. Or a Zubat." Moe threw out into the air, before picking up Squirtle and spinning it around as the three teenagers walked.

"Squirtle Suirt Squirt!" It giggled as it was spun.

Moe smiled as she got dizzy. "I'm gonna catch a Pokémon so the three of us can become friends."

Willow watched from afar, smiling at the slight naivety the beginner had. Though she didn't know a lot about Squirtle's owner, Willow did know Moe was pretty confident about being a Pokémon League Champion, almost in an arrogant way. She may not mention it a lot, but when brought up into conversation, the air around her changed to one of an Ace Trainer.

Her Pokémon battling was up in the air. Willow could look at Moe's early compassion for Pokémon, and combine it with her youthful cockiness, and find herself in a predicament. It could really go either way.

"Have you ever battled a Pokémon before?" Willow asked her.

Still walking, Moe lowered Squirtle and turned to look at Willow. "Are you doubting my ability to catch and train a Pokémon?"

Willow got a bit stiff, "Oh no! I would never assu-!"

A laugh cut her off. "I'm just messing with ya." Willow looked up to Moe walking backwards. "I haven't had an official 'Pokémon battle', but my mom and I used to tussle with the Pokémon she has. So I have a little experien-." Willow winced as she watched the trainer trip over a rock and fall on her back.

"I'm ok!"

* * *

Another flock of Spearow flew over their heads as they continued walking through the grass.

Moe's Squirtle reverted into its shell to take a nap and avoid the heat.

The heat battered down on the trio.

Indigo hid itself underneath of Willow's hair, trying to avoid the heat.

William was wiping sweat off of his forehead. "Are we almost there? I'm exhausted. It's been two hours."

"I agree, I think maybe we can stop under a tree and have a picnic!" Willow added on, her Eevee nodding its head from underneath its Trainer's hair.

"No way!" Moe turned, and Willow took note of the fact that she was barely sweating. "It's not that bad out. Plus, look ahead!"

The two teenagers did, and both began smiling as they read the sign in the near distance, " _Welcome to Viridian City!_ "

* * *

The trio were sitting inside of a small café; Willow was sitting in a chair close to the window. Across from her was Moe, and next to her sat William. Willow had ordered a small soup and a slice of bread, which was halfway done. She was staring outside of the window, looking at the beautiful scenery.

On the floor were three Pokémon delightfully eating their Pokémon food. Squirtle, Eevee, and William's Pokémon - an Oshawott - happily chatting away to the other two. It seemed like the Sea Otter Pokémon was introducing itself to the normal and fellow-water type.

"Here's your pie, Miss." A waitress came to the table, peacefully disrupting the eaters by placing a slice of pie in front of Moe.

Quickly grabbing her utensils, Moe stared in awe as the plate was placed in front of her. Willow would make the claim that there were stars in Moe's eyes, except she still had her sunglasses on, so it was hard to tell.

Then, Willow watched Moe looked at the woman and genuinely smile wide. "Thanks so much! I appreciate it!" As soon as she said it, she began scarfing down the pie.

"Way to have some manners near others." William laughed, watching the faux-blonde eat. "If Professor Oak was here, he would tell you the way you eat isn't particularly lady-like."

She finished swallowing her food before commenting, "What is that supposed to do? Make me feel guilty for having what society claims as masculine traits?" The teen ate another piece of her pie and swallowed. "I could care less what the Old Man thinks half of the time. Oh man!" Willow watched her look down at her plate. "I'm almost out of pie! I just started eating it."

As she continued complaining, Willow started laughing to herself. If Moe was by herself on this journey, she wondered how different her attitude would be, if it would be any different. She was reminiscent of a spoiled child.

"Is there something funny to you?" Willow looked across from her and felt the anger of Moe oozing off of her. "Cause I don't see anything funny."

Suddenly, the ebony-haired girl could hear a light growling behind her. It was easy to assume Indigo was standing underneath or behind the chair, ready to protect.

William laughed a bit as well.

"Oh, so I'm a joke to you now, Carrot Top?"

Immediately he stopped, and looked a bit sad.

Eevee looked and, under the realization that the emotions were no longer directed towards her trainer, reverted back to her food, which she continued to eat alongside Squirtle and Oshawott.

The faux-blonde teen began pouting at the table, before eating the last pieces of her pie and taking a deep breath.

Mostly ignoring the teenaged child, Willow turned at the reaction of the male. This wasn't the first time Moe gave a lighthearted comment that left him quiet for an amount of time and alienated from the other two trainers.

He seemed friendly enough, but like every person, had his own personal issues. Willow should know.

Before she could continue her thoughts, a pleasant sigh escaped from the person sitting next to William. Smiling, the previously angry teenager stood up from her seat and pushed it in. Digging in her backpack, she pulled out several dollar bills and threw them on the table. "If any of you need me, I'll be traversing this pretty city. Wanna join Lil Dude?"

"Squirtle!" The Pokémon happily clapped his hands and followed its trainer out the door of the café. Not before putting its sunglasses back on its eyes.

Once the two left the room, Willow took the money and counted it up. She recounted, confused. "This is about a hundred dollars too much. What a tip."

The orange-haired kid leans onto the table with his arm, not impressed. "Great, so she's rich too."

"I don't think she meant to be mean by the comment earlier, or really showcase her wealth. She seemed to be mad at herself more than anything."

"Yeah, whatever." The boy sighed.

Oshawott, noticing his trainer's sullen mood, walked over to it. It's pale white face and onyx eyes stared up at William. "Oshawott?" It asked.

William picked it up and raised it so it was sitting on his lap. "I'm OK, Oshawott. Really."

"Osha Oshawott?" The Pokémon seemed to struggle believing its trainer.

As the boy began having a conversation with his Pokémon, Willow decided to quietly leave the café. Naturally, Indigo faithfully followed her trainer's footsteps.

* * *

Willow walked around the town of Viridian City. The trio had gotten here a few hours prior, so they were lucky to see the sun beginning to set. It was cooler now, and the sky was beginning to change colors in the summery-like weather.

Considering this being the first town the three explored together, it wasn't unexpected to see them break off into their own thoughts and ways of discovering their surroundings. In some moments everyone seems to want to be alone. No matter how much they hate it, there are even times where they are forced to be alone, in some sick, unfortunate series of events. The worst part is the beautiful sun and moon never seem to dissipate or stop time for any singular person going through a tough time.

As she continuously walked around the town, Willow unconsciously led herself to the Viridian Gym. Its glossy wooden exterior shined from the setting sun. So did the metal outlining the beautifully structured building. It stood upon two metal staircases, a fountain in the middle of the staircases. It wasn't on at the time, so the water sat calmly at the base.

Standing in front of it, Willow and Eevee stood in front of it. "It's beautiful." Willow mumbled to Indigo.

The Pokémon squealed and agreed, running up the stairs to the front of the gym.

Willow laughed, chasing after it. "Hey, wait up!"

Indigo was sitting at the top of the stairs in front of the doors, waiting for its trainer to catch up. The teenaged girl knelt down and pet her Eevee, before standing back up at the doors. They were large and intimidating, and for a moment it spooked Willow out.

Then, she pushed the doors open. Or would have, except they didn't move. She stopped, and stared at it, before putting her hands on the doors again and pulling them instead. Instead of budging and opening like it naturally should, it still didn't open, which led to Willow flying off and falling onto her back.

The girl groaned, and sighed, confused.

A shadow appeared over her. "Doors didn't open, right?"

Willow opened her eyes to see honey-blonde hair in her vision. Standing overtop of her was Moe, smiling, and a hand outstretched. Willow grabbed it and stood up, dusting herself off. "Thanks Morgan." She smiled at her.

Moe pushed her sunglasses away from her eyes and onto the top of her head, pushing her hair back. Willow tried to look anywhere else but her eyes, considering how strange it was to see the girl with a serious look in her eyes.

"Willow," The girl looked in the general direction of the person calling her name, "Why did you call me by my full name?"

The ebony-haired girl crossed her arms over her stomach and looked down, feeling embarrassed. "I'm really sorry! I didn't know that you had a personal opinion on the usage of your name! I didn't really mean any harm by it, I just thought it was okay to use it!" She apologized.

Usually, Willow would hear the mischievous laugh of the faux-blonde and understand that everything was fine. This time, however, there wasn't a laugh. Confused, the girl looked for Moe, realizing she wasn't standing in front of her anymore. Willow looked around, until she found Moe standing in front of a plaque.

She seemed mesmerized by whatever was written on it. "Hmm." She mumbled to herself. She wiped it with her hand, then felt it. Then, she turned and looked at Willow. "There's no Gym Leader on this plaque. It's almost as if the Gym doesn't exist. The name of the leader has been crossed out several time for some reason. Interesting." She puts her hands on her hips and taps her foot impatiently, like she was creating an elaborate reason for the M.I.A gym. Or re-evaluating her plans on obtaining all eight gym badges in order to compete against the elite four. "Anyways," Moe sighed, "You obviously have some personal shit to deal with. But you seem really intelligent and know what you're doing. I have a feeling you'll watch over me from afar, but still close enough for me to call you a friend. So I guess you can call me by my real name."

"Personal shit?" Willow slowly asked, confused.

Moe gave a lopsided grin. "Sure. Everyone has it. Me, you, even William has his shit to deal with."

Willow frowned. "Speaking of, the way you treated him earlier-."

"Yeah I know." Moe sighed again, waving at Willow dismissively. "He has some self-confidence issues. Gets hurt easily. Fully aware of it. Sorry homie, but I'm not gonna change the way I am for someone else's pleasure. I think he'll get way more mature and tough the longer he travels with us."

The revelation shocked Willow, for a couple of reasons. For awhile, as she traveled alone, she believed that observing people and not talking to them would really help her establish who they were as a person as well as discover their strengths and weaknesses. With only a few friends as she traveled, Indigo being her main friend naturally, she believed in the silence of watching from afar. Sometimes she wanted to help people as she traversed the regions, but was too afraid of interfering with the lives of others.

Yet, Moe was able to see exactly who William was, and possibly more, without staying quiet for more than ten minutes at a time. She could directly interact with those around her with little hassle and still deduct so much about them. Even when arguing with William, she probably picked up on more details than she let on. But, what she said more-so affected Willow. Moe didn't have her sunglasses on, so Willow was able to watch her and see into her eyes as she explained her personal feelings for once.

It seemed like Moe had no empathy for William. Or she was really good at hiding it.

Before Willow could continue her thoughts about Moe and her flaws, the teenager put her sunglasses back on and began smiling again. "He'll get over it, I'm sure of it. I have to go back to the lake, though, and go see what my Lil' Dude has been up to since I left. We had begun training a little bit before eventually I made the decision to take a break and walk around. You two can come back with me if you want to, but if not, I'll just see you at the hotel." Moe started walking away, waving in the air indicating her leave.

Eevee's trainer silently watched her go, slightly unsettled by the short conversation.

* * *

As the night became cooler, Willow and Indigo started walking back to the hotel where the trio were staying at. It wasn't too far of a walk from the park they decided to settle at, only about ten or fifteen minutes. Not too far away was the lake where Morgan and Squirtle were. If she was going to be honest, Willow would admit that she wanted to see Morgan's battle strategy as well as how she trained her Pokémon. By the time the duo arrived to the park beside the lake, Moe and Squirtle were playing with some of the local trainers in the water, goofing off.

* * *

 _"You did an amazing job today, Lil' Dude!_ " Willow could distinctly hear Moe's voice complementing her Pokémon.

" _Squirt Squirtle!_ " It clapped water in its trainer's face, laughing.

A boy came up to them with a Rattata. " _Hey, you two are pretty strong! We didn't have a chance against you guys!_ "

Moe scratched the back of her head. " _You were pretty good, though! I'm sure you'll be a great trainer someday. That was only my first official battle._ "

" _Whaa? You're first battle? No way!_ "

The two laughed and continued splashing each other.

Willow wished she could see the battle and make assessments herself. She didn't linger on the thought for too much longer, though, Indigo wanted to play a game of tag in the park.

* * *

Willow greeted the hotel receptionist with a smile and a wave, before walking past her and to the elevator.

The hotel itself looked pretty expensive, compared to the other hotels they passed by when they first arrived in the city. Moe claimed this was one of the only ones that offered free breakfast and lunch and was decent enough for them to stay in. They didn't notice her pause in front of it as they started walking by it. By the time they noticed her missing, she had strutted right in without the two and came out five minutes later, saying she booked a hotel room with two beds for two nights in case they had a reason to stay for another day. Afterwards, she gave Willow and William a hotel key each, before exclaiming she needed food.

She never mentioned a price or if they had to pay her back, just waved her hand as a dismissal when William brought up paying her back. That should've been a first sign of her social status.

When Willow got off of the elevator, she walked to their hotel room and used the key to open the door. The hotel room opened to a luxurious open space where couches and a large television were set up. To the left of the entrance door was a door leading to a bathroom, and straight past the living room space were the two queen sized beds spaced comfortably apart, a lamp placed in-between the beds. Next to the beds was a drape pushed back, allowing the visitors to see the skyline of the city, bright lights gazing over it.

In a moment of amazement, Willow and Indigo quietly walked in, staring at all the expensive-looking furniture.

A tall figure was sitting on the bed. Hearing the door close, it turned to look at who walked into the room. "Oh, hey Willow!" William greeted, smiling and waving. It seemed he was already in his pajamas. "These beds are probably some of the most comfortable beds I've ever laid on in my life."

"William, hi." She greeted. She walked over to the other bed, where she and Moe would be sleeping for the night. "This is some fancy place, huh?" She put her own bag onto the bed and pulled out her pajamas.

He nodded in agreement.

Neither of them decided to ask the other if they had heard from Moe recently. It quickly getting dark outside, so there was a slight concern, but they didn't have any way of finding or contacting her. They didn't have her cell-phone number, or even knew if she had a phone or begin with.

Eevee hopped onto the edge of the bed and curled up, closing its eyes and beginning to drift off to sleep. Her trainer walked into the bathroom to change her clothes. Even the bathroom was larger than it needed to be and everything was exaggerated. Willow quickly changed into her pajamas and folded her regular clothes neatly on the counter next to the sink. She stood in the mirror and pulled at her dark hair, attempting to untangle some of it. While she did this, she thought about the current situation she was in. She was sleeping in the same room with a boy and a girl she only knew for a few days. If the situation was any different, she would've denied the opportunity and continued her own personal journey. It didn't seem like Moe gave them much of a choice, though.

She almost forgot what it was like to travel with people instead of Pokémon. Indigo was amazing, really, but that was her partner, and as her Pokémon, she didn't really have opinions on things that didn't directly pertain to Willow. With William and Moe, it was different, even though it had only been a few days. They both could bring new perspectives and ideas to Willow's world, and alter it so it is more three-dimensional.

Unable to untangle one piece of her hair, Willow gave up in defeat and left the bathroom. William wasn't on the bed like when she first walked in the hotel room. He was now situated in the living space with the television on. The lights were dimmed low, so Indigo was still able to comfortably sleep.

The naturally orange-haired kid looked serious, as he stared at the bright light of the television. "This is an outrage!" He lightly slammed his fisted up hand onto the arm of the chair.

"What happened?" Willow briskly walked over to the open chair and sat down.

"They chose Clefable over Jigglypuff." The boy shook his head.

She looked at him, confused. "What?" Then she looked at the television. On it, confetti was flying everywhere as an adorable Clefable and its trainer were standing on a large stage in front of a huge audience. They were smiling and waving to everyone. In the short distance behind them, a Jiggypuff was huffing and puffing angrily in the direction of the winner. It's trainer, a red-headed girl, was trying to comfort it as best as he could.

Walking over to the winners, the host of the show smiled with pristine teeth, as he laughed into the mic. "And there you have it folks! Clefable and Ana have won this season of _The Voice: Pokémon Edition_! Tune in to see the first interview with the winners and keep up with us for next season as we wait with baited breath for new batch of talented vocalist and their trainers! Thanks for watching this season!" He waves as the camera pans out and then switches to a commercial.

Fuming in the chair, William sighed and crossed his arms. "Just because Jigglypuff's _sing_ makes everyone fall asleep, doesn't make it any less beautiful! Its poor ego is probably shattered."

Willow laughed uncomfortably. "I didn't realize you were a fan of the show. I've never seen it before."

"Never seen it before?" The boy looked shocked. "This show airs in almost every region. It gets tons of viewers every week. Here, they're about to show all of the past winners in a beautiful, Pokémon medley. Watch, and listen to talent."

Not leaving the chair, Willow listened to him and continued to watch the television.

* * *

Outside of the hotel, Moe was pacing. Her Squirtle was sitting on a bench in front of the hotel, watching her go back and forth.

She finally stopped, and looked upwards towards the sky. "Hey, it's me. Just checking in, but it seems like you haven't been home or aren't home right now. I made it to Viridian City, which is pretty dope. My Pokémon - wow I love saying that - and I are bonding really well and are an amazing team. We won our first Pokémon battle today! There's something up with the Viridian Gym, though. No one seems to be keeping up with the place, and I can imagine the effect its had on the challengers for the Elite Four. I'll probably just head to Pewter and get my first badge there, so I'm not too worried. Not too stressed about Viridian Forest either, I'll probably pick up a Pokémon or two while I'm there." She pauses, and seems to be thinking for a moment. "Call me back when you hear this, I guess. Or else I'll call your personal cellphone, or your job. I don't really care. Alright, talk to you later." She hung up and stuffed the phone in her pocket.

"C'mon Lil Dude." She called, standing to the front of the doors. Worried, it hurriedly caught up to its trainer, before the duo walked into the hotel room.

When they got into the elevator, Moe pulled out a Pokéball and clicked on it. "Squirtle, return."

The Pokémon confusedly looked up at Moe before a red light overtook it, bring Squirtle back into its Pokéball.

Moe held the Pokéball in her hands before tossing it up in the air several times. She wasn't paying attention to it, though. It seemed she was looking straight across the elevator, deep in thought. Her sunglasses covered her eyes, as usual, so it was impossible to see any emotion that was on her face. It didn't seem to matter, though. The final time she threw the Pokéball in the air, another light came out of it. Once it disappeared, Squirtle was standing in the elevator. Then, the elevator doors opened.

"Sorry about that Lil Dude, I needed a moment to myself." The two walked off the elevator and Moe knelt down, patting the bald head of Squirtle, who began smiling and closing its eyes. Soon Moe was smiling too. "You're the best, Lil Dude. C'mon, it's getting late. Let's go get some sleep."

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon began running to the hotel room excitedly, Moe laughing and running after it.

* * *

"Huh?" Moe walked into the hotel room, confused at the sight of William and Willow staring at the television. Willow seemed to nearly be in tears. "Is everything okay?" She asked, quickly holding the door to avoid it slamming shut.

The two quickly turned to look at Moe, before turning back to the television. The girl being ignored walked over to the two, before turning to the tv to see what they were watching.

Willow looked sad. "Jiggypuff worked so hard to get where she was at, and didn't even win. I feel so bad!"

"I told you!" William sounded exasperated. "She was robbed. I hope a record label picks her up. She deserves it."

Moe looked from William to Willow and back to William and back to Willow. Then, she walked to the bedroom area and pulled her pajamas out of her bag. Squirtle was already passed out across from Indigo on the same bed.

After she came out of the bathroom, the two were still staring at the screen. "I don't know what you two are watching, but -."

"Can you please keep your voice down?" Willow turned around and asked nicely. "They're about to have the live interview of Clefable and her trainer."

Defeated, and almost comedically, Moe sullenly ambled to her bed, where she quietly got underneath the blankets, took her glasses off, and closed her eyes.

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! How did you like it? Why did you not like it? Did you notice any Easter Eggs placed in this episodes?

Since the story being about my character, I wanted to play and see the possibility of still keeping the third person perspective, but in the head of the other characters. It gives me the opportunity to utilize your character's personalities and get inside of their head, so I would love to hear about my attempt to do so!

Yup, no Team Rocket in this episode. That doesn't mean they're not still working hard!

As always, I am accepting OCs new and old for this story and it continues to unfold, so please send them in if you want (by PM!). Again, thanks so much for reading, and I will see you all at the next update!

Ciao!


	4. And the Beginning Continues!

Hi all! I know, it's been some time, but I am back with a short update on the story! While I was away fanfiction changed the doc manager time frame from 90 days to 365 which is honestly one of the best updates from them I've ever seen. So, I had about a third of this completed back in the summer, and then worked on it a bit more during the winter break. And finally, spring break, I am able to finish it. Hope you didn't think I was giving up!

So, excuses aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(And, of course, I do not have any affiliation nor do I own the Pokémon franchise. I truly am just a huge fan)

* * *

Breakfast was Moe's favorite meal of the day. Specifically, eating breakfast during brunch. There was no specific outlier for why this was, but she could imagine her mom making breakfast food in the evening and the rarity of late Sunday brunches could contribute to it.

So, it would make sense for her to think of eating a late lunch once she woke up from her glorious slumber on the fantastic bedding of the hotel she was staying at, but immediately waking up gasping for air and reaching out towards something or someone that didn't exist in her peripheral after a long nightmare made it a bit hard. Wide-eyed and sitting up, she slowed her breathing down in order to retreat her beating heart to a more evenly-paced rhythm. The fear that could have been easily read in her eyes disappeared in time, and so Moe blinked until she regained her focus and began surveying her surroundings. The other bed across from the one she slept on with Willow was neatly made up. Both William and Willow were gone, along with all of the Pokémon. Even Squirtle was gone, and shortly a new fear began to rise in Moe. That was, until she recognized the bags of the other two teenagers next to hers.

Closing her eyes, the faux-blonde tried to remember bits and pieces of the dream that left her internally restless and anxious. Everything looked blurry in her memories. Scratched out faces and an unrecognizable location, trying to remember this nightmare left an uncomfortable sensation on the back of her neck.

"Good morning, Morgan!"

The voice shattering the silence of the hotel room shocked Moe. Without thinking, she grabbed and put pressure on the wrist of whoever was reaching for her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she looked into her acquaintance's purple orbs.

Immediately, and regretfully, Moe removed her hand from the girl's like it burned her skin and watched Willow's wrist quickly turn red. "Shit. Sorry about that, you scared me." Quickly, the girl still sitting in the bed pulled the other teenager by her arm towards her so she could get a closer look at the wrist. "You should be fine, I didn't feel any breakage from the bone. Just try and not to move it too much." Moe looked at the arm with a lopsided frown, before looking up at her companion.

The ebony-haired girl shook her head as she lightly held her wrist in her opposite hand. "No no, it was my fault for startling you, I'm sorry." Willow began, taking a few steps away from Moe. "You had your eyes closed and your head was lowered, so I just assumed you fell back asleep sitting up. It wasn't my -."

She was cut off by the other teenager, who began leaving the bed and stretching her arms over her head. "Nah, it wasn't your fault. I should've known it was you. I was just trying to remember something." Moe's voice faded as she started the last sentence, remembering her nightmare but nothing of it. She finished stretching and just stood in her spot quietly, staring off.

Willow watched all of this happen, and began thinking of ways to ask if the blonde was okay, but before she got the opportunity the teenager shook her head and then turned to the trainer, a smile forming on her lips that didn't look anything like the one from yesterday in the café. "Oh well, I don't think I'll be able to remember it anytime soon. Where is everyone else by the way?"

"Oh! Right, that's why I came up here." The ebony-haired teenager smiled back at the girl, "We were going to get something to eat, but there's a bit of a wait so everyone was hoping you could get dressed and come down for breakfast before we get seated?" The request sounded more like a question than anything.

While Willow was talking Moe rubbed the crust out of her eyes before reaching for her phone on the nightstand located next to where she slept and checked the time, seeing it was only a little after nine in the morning. She made a face, and put the phone back down as the other girl continued to talk.

"William and I were also thinking about leaving and getting a good head start on Viridian Forest after we finished eating breakfast, so that way we would only spend a few days there." She continued to explain.

Moe combed through her hair with her hand, looking at Willow as she finished speaking. "That all sounds good to me. I can be ready in about eleven minutes."

The teenager walked around Willow and dug into her bag, then walking into the bathroom, as the other girl sat comfortably on the bed and waited.

* * *

Tying the laces on her sneakers, Moe was all dressed and looked like she was awake.

Now sitting on the couch, Willow commented, "You know, I thought you were dead last night."

"Who, me?" Moe questioned, beginning to tie the shoelaces on her other foot.

She didn't see Willow nod her head. "Yeah. I don't think you moved at all in your sleep and I couldn't hear you breathing, it was slightly unnerving."

Moe snorted, then walked over to the pile of bags and pulled out face lotion and rubbed it onto her face.

"And then when William and I and all the Pokémon were moving around this morning, you didn't move an inch."

"That," Moe started, "doesn't happen too often. I am naturally a light sleeper." Quickly, she added, "But I think the feeling of an exquisite bed after a few days in a sleeping bag led me to take the day off."

"That makes sense." Willow smiled childishly at the other teen. "You look like you're just about ready, and it really only took ten minutes."

Fixing her hair, Moe attempted to flatten the top of it, though her natural thick curls made it hard to do. For the final touch of her regular outfit, she put her sunglasses on. She responded to Willow as she placed her phone and some other objects in her pockets. "It doesn't make sense to put so much effort other than a basic shower, brushing your teeth, and putting your clothes on with the right amount of lotion and deodorant when you have a specific end goal." Moe grabbed her card key for the hotel key and the two walked out of the room together.

Willow and Moe continued down the hallway leading to the elevator. "That's what my mom always told me, anyway." Moe shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at the thought of it all.

The ebony-haired girl nodded her head, having a simple understanding of the concept, though not its full extent. "I understand that, I guess."

A silence stuck between them as they waited for the elevator. Once it finally came, the two stepped on at the same time and Willow pushed the lobby button.

They stood in opposite corners of the elevators. Willow began to play with her hair, making light attempts to untangle some of the parts. Suddenly, there was a vibration that rung in the small space.

Pulling a phone out of her back pocket, Moe answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?" She answered. Then, a laugh erupted from her. "Well, it took you long enough, geez."

For a few moments, Moe didn't speak. "Yeah, can you look into that for me, please? It just seemed odd. Uh huh, I'm fine. No, I'm not. Yes, I'm being careful. Huh?"

The elevator doors opened and Willow stepped off first. Slowly following her was Moe, who was still on the phone. Glancing behind her, Willow couldn't interpret the other girl's emotions. Her sunglasses were on, naturally, but her mouth was almost in a straight line.

As they walked towards the breakfast buffet, the silence was making Willow almost uncomfortable. Every few seconds she would turn around to make sure her companion was still following her, to which she was.

"Hold on." Willow heard Moe mumble under her breath. "Yo, Willow, I'm gonna step out for a bit, but I'll just find the table."

Without waiting for a response, the faux blonde walked in the opposite direction and left Willow by herself.

Willow watched her go, before turning and walking to the buffet, confused.

* * *

"Squirtle Squirtle?" The Pokémon acknowledged the reappearance of Willow, yet without its trainer.

The ebony-haired girl bent down to the Pokémon and patted its head, smiling. "Don't worry Squirtle, she's on her way now! She'll be here any second."

Somewhat reassured, it closed its eyes and smiled back.

Indigo rubbed its head against its trainer's leg, purring.

Standing back up, Willow looked at William. Pokédex in his hands, he changed his focus from studying the Pokémon to Willow. He looked around and before he could say anything to her, she shrugged her shoulders. "She's on the phone with someone. I think it's a family member or a close friend."

He nodded his head in response.

Soon enough, the group were escorted into the buffet. There were booths and tables alike in the front and the middle of the room, and several long rows of food that varied from fruits to Pokémon food to different types of juices made from berries. The teenagers and their Pokémon could only stare in awe at the enormous amount of food as they were shown their seats. It was a larger table with three chairs, and then a small, comfortable-looking rug on the side for the Pokémon to sit on.

Willow and William thanked the hostess that walked them to their table, before quickly walking over to the best part of the buffet: the food.

* * *

Squirtle, Eevee, and Oshawott were devouring their food, while talking amongst themselves. The chatter helped fill the sound in the buffet, as there was a lot of other talk from other guest and Pokémon alike.

William even put his Pokédex away, politely talking to Willow about random, unrelated topics. Both of their plates were cluttered with different types of foods. The female seemed to be more focused on what William was saying than the large amounts of people that surrounded them.

As they continued to talk, two large plates of food were nearly-slammed down on the table and a chair was immediately pulled out afterwards. Willow jumped at the sudden movements from right outside of her peripheral. Quickly, she turned her head to be almost face-to-face with Moe, who had a big smile on her face.

"Dudes, the variety of food here is freaking amazing!" Was her form of a greeting, turning her head to across from her to acknowledge William. "I'm gonna ask if they have to-go boxes so we can take some for the journey."

"Squirtle!" Here Pokémon stopped talking to its friends and jumped onto Moe's lap, hugging her mid-section.

The teenager embraced her Pokémon back, lovingly, before letting go and fixing its glasses. "What's up, Lil Dude?" Reaching around the Pokémon, Moe began to eat large portions of her plate.

Quietly, Moe listened to the conversation between Willow and William. The two were currently discussing the overall progress of research assessed and completed about Pokémon. As William discussed the topics from an analytical observation, Willow introduced points more focal to their environment and the geography of a few regions. They bounced ideas off of each other and the two different perspectives came to a meaningful middle ground.

The third teenager was more focused on eating, though she was listening to them. Squirtle stayed sitting on her for a few minutes before retreating back to its friends to finish eating and engage in its own conversation. At times, there were parts Moe listened to that she didn't fully understand, so she would interject with a question to further explain or elaborate on an idea.

All in all, breakfast was peaceful and enjoyable for the trio and their Pokémon.

* * *

"Yup. This is it." William turned around from a sign, where in small scribbles read " _Viridian_ Forest". He turned and looked at the other two, pulling on his orange hair.

Willow was also messing with her hair, trying to detangle it as usual. It was a habit the sole male companion picked up on. It seemed a bit inconsistent in regard to behavior; so, she would do it when she was happy, anxious, stressed, or any other emotion. Standing beside her was her Pokémon, an Eevee. Though tiny, it seemed to be able to handle itself with confidence and be able to protect its trainer with little problems.

Over the past few days, and especially while in Viridian City, William grew more fond of Willow as they continued to hang out. It makes sense, considering there is little time they aren't spending together, but this is an odd situation they both willingly agreed to. That is, going on an adventure around the region with a complete stranger. William didn't know this until this morning.

* * *

" _So, how long have you and Moe known each other?_ " William asked cautiously, as he and the other female teenager stood in the elevator together.

Willow hummed to herself. " _I met her the same day as you, actually._ " As she thought this over, her face began to look a bit flush, blood coloring her cheeks. As the two exited the elevator (four, including Indigo and Oshawott), William pried a bit more, asking how they met. Blushing a bit more, Indigo began to cackle a bit. " _Well, I accidentally slammed the front door in her face, almost breaking her nose but breaking her sunglasses._ " She seemed to still feel slightly guilty about the entire interaction, looking down, almost comically.

The teenaged boy was only a little shocked, considering he watched the girl trip out of the front door as they were leaving, so it seemed she had a habit of being clumsy. William was more confused about how Moe's reaction wasn't to immediately rip the girl's head off and laugh about it later. Plus, she even asked her to join herself and him on the journey around Kanto. This led William to believe Moe had a soft spot for Willow that didn't quite exist for him.

" _She's not too bad, is she?_ " William asked, as they were waiting to be seated.

Instead of verbally responding, Willow shook her head in agreement. Then, she spoke. " _She already considers us friends, which I assume makes sense considering we are traveling together. She has a good heart._ "

In response, the boy spoke, " _She sure has an interesting way of showing it_."

* * *

On the other hand, the faux-blonde was looking up at the sky in the opposite direction. At least, that's what it looked like. It was always hard to tell without her taking her glasses off.

The teenager was one of the strangest people William had met so far in his life. That wasn't exactly saying much, but was still prominent enough to has a lasting effect on his perception of her and all the people he would meet in the future. He couldn't decide whether to define her as really human or just a consistent contradiction. Sometimes Moe was nice and often generous, before going on a mean streak and insulting everyone around her. Oddly enough, it wasn't in a self-absorbed sense where she gloated about herself, but just nit-picking sentences that could really hurt someone's feelings if she wanted them to. William assumed such during the first few days of them traveling together. After yesterday afternoon, though, he was sure of it and it was confusing. It isn't that his self-esteem is completely obliterated, but it is a bit lower than most people his age and he'll be the first to admit (to himself) that he can take some things personally.

He has to admit, though, even though he's only been in the Kanto region for a little bit more than two weeks, he has a feeling he's already grown a lot more since living in Unova.

William was about to ask Moe what she was looking at, since it looked like she was staring at clouds, before a rumbling sound got louder. Confused, he looked up as well, watching a large, black, treacherous-looking helicopter fly over the group and above Viridian City, before slowly dissipating and becoming a spec.

He was unfamiliar with that type of aircraft, or who would be flying it, with the exception of an official or someone of importance. Looking down, he turned around to look back at the rest of the group.

It looked like Willow and most of the Pokémon had a similar confused look on their faces.

"Man," Moe called out, seemingly annoyed, and gathering the attention of their entire group, "that's the second time a helicopter looking like that one flew over me and I can't tell what company owns it. It's irritating me!" Silently, she fumed in her spot, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"Are helicopters this common in this part of Kanto?" Willow asked, picking up Indigo and holding her.

Uncrossing her arms, the girl adjusted her sunglasses and didn't say anything for a moment, seeming to ponder over the question. "No, they aren't." Moe finally answered. "It's annoying and is probably disturbing the peace of the Pokémon. I hope they quit it soon. Plus, they're really ugly. I'd hate to have to keep looking at them."

And there it is again: the childish nature of the young teenager peeking out again, William noted.

"Anyways," she started to speak again, walking forwards, "let's get a move on through the forest so we can snag as much daylight as possible. I'm trying to be the greater trainer by the end of the year, so we gotta keep it moving."

* * *

"I did a bit of research on the Viridian Forest." William announced. He was walking in front of everyone, looking at all of their surroundings. For once, he was the leader of the pack, and hopefully, steering the group in the correct direction towards the exit which would lead them to Pewter City. In one of his hands was the map, which took him almost ten minutes to receive from Moe. His other hand held his Pokédex, so he could rightfully be prepared to gather research on an unfamiliar Pokémon at any given moment.

Though the trees blocked most of the sunlight, he thought, it was sti-

"Yeah, ok, and what of it _Professor_?" Moe asked from behind him, half-serious and half-silly. She disrupted his train of thought he was beginning internally.

Oh, right. "Oh, right." He stated aloud, seemingly forgetting to finish that thought. Not turning his head to look behind him, he continued talking. "Well, I did some research, and there are a lot of bug Pokémon like to group together and swarm the area, especially looking for enemies or food. Also, the forest is not as large as people believe it to be. The reason why so many people ultimately end up lost in the forest, though, is because they are unable to read maps and tend to get lost in all the different paths. It's pretty interesting, because a lot of the paths made in the forest were made by Pokémon." William finished looking down at the path they were currently walking down until there was a break and three new paths erupted from the main one.

The group stopped at the separation in the ground, and each looked at the three different paths, all leading to more large herds of trees.

Actively ignoring Moe's questions, William looked at the map before looking at the three paths. Then, he looked up at the sky, barely able to visibly see the sun beam down, but he could feel the sweat sliding down his back and his forehead. It was a bit distracting, so he used one arm to wipe some of it off, and the other to continue holding onto the map. He took another hard glance at it, before folding it up and putting it in his pocket.

"We have to go this way." The teenager pointed towards the third path, on the right side. He turned around to look at the other two people and their Pokémon.

A breeze slid through the Viridian Forest quickly, motioning the leaves living on the trees in any direction.

In all honestly, he expected them to continuously question his decision and map-reading skills. _I really hope they believe me_ , William thought to himself. He felt obligated to help, but not forced. Professor Oak ordered him to accompany the two girls on their journey around Kanto, but he, as of right now, was kind of enjoying it. And their company.

Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder.

He turned around, now noticing there was no one standing in front of him. Willow was on the other side, a concerned smile on her face. "Are you okay, William? You've been standing there motionless for a couple minutes." She asked, still holding onto Indigo.

The orange-haired teen looked at Willow, nearly shocked to see her there. "Yeah, I'm good! Sorry about that. I just got lost in my thoughts." The two began walking behind Moe, who William didn't hear any comments or jokes from. But, he did notice that they were walking on the path he originally pointed out.

Moe's Squirtle did, however, turn to William and give him a thumbs up. It was quite adorable, and Squirtle seemed to recreate what its trainer would typically do, sunglasses on and all.

William smiled back in response.

* * *

Willow noticed, after walking for what seemed like hours, that it wasn't as hot as when they originally started walking. It seemed most of the group, though, had slowed down walking to a slower amble. The only exception was Moe, who was several feet in front of everyone else, unbothered and unnaturally quiet for most of the walk.

"I think we should call it a day soon." William spoke aloud, catching Willow's attention. She turned and looked at him, nodding her head and agreeing.

She held her Pokémon in her arms. "I agree, it's starting to get dark out and we should probably begin to set camp up. Plus, it looks like most of us are exhausted." They both turned their attention to Moe, who didn't seem to hear their short conversation. They both paused, and probably thought the other person was going to get their unofficial leader's attention. "Morgan." Willow called out, still nervous about using her full name.

The teen sharply stopped in her place, but slowly turned around and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. "What's up?" She asked, before pulling out her water bottle and sipping from it.

Once all together, Willow began to repeat the short conversation she and William had. "We should find a place to go to sleep soon. It's going to get dark soon."

"Sounds good to me." Moe quickly replied, nodding her head. "Let's walk, then, until we find somewhere to settle down for the night. Like an open space maybe not too surrounded by trees."

Willow noticed the small beads of sweat on Moe's face, but they didn't seem to affect the faux blonde in any way. "Actually," Moe began to continue her train of thought, "I have an idea."

The teen held out Squirtle for William to hold. "Can you hold Lil Dude for a second? Thanks." She asked and then answered. Once he took the Pokémon resting in its shell, she took her backpack off and walked up to a tree, feeling it. Then another one. And then a third one.

The other two people continued to watch Moe feel these trees and look up at them, before she settled on one and bent down. As quickly as she bent down, she jumped up and held on to one of the branches, beginning to climb the tree at a slightly abnormal speed. Finally, she was gone.

Willow and William began looking at each other, both equally confused. Before they could say anything, there was a rustling coming from the same tree. Slowly, and almost poetically, Moe reappeared, dangling in the air. The other two trainers quickly realized she was holding a long branch. Once she let go, she fell in the air before landing on her feet.

A few leaves decorated her curly, thick strands of hair, and Moe had a neutral expression on her face. She put her backpack on and walked up to William, retrieving her Pokémon, and then wordlessly turned back around, walking.

Unsure of the situation, the duo continued to follow her.

Sure enough, a short ten minute walk later ( _a bit East from the path they were following_ , Willow acknowledged in her head) there was a small, clear space in the midst of the thick forest. It was large enough for the group to have a small fire with little risk of catching a flame onto a tree, as well as space to spread out and rest.

Moe took her backpack off, laid out on her back, and put Squirtle (or at least its shell) on her stomach. Keeping her sunglasses on, she was completely still. Beginning to feel uncomfortable with the silence, Willow began shuffling her belongings around, pulling her sleeping bag out across from where Moe was stationed.

She looked in the direction of where William was pulling his sleeping bag out as well, to her right, and recognized the quantity of space each person put between themselves an the others. It was a bit of a reminder of the short time-frame the trio had known each other and the familiarity of the group was still new, regardless of the conversations each held.

Yet, Willow came to understand, it was herself and William that had created the loud emptiness between them all. Morgan had done nothing but lay on the ground. _Maybe_ , she thought, they came to their own understanding of the young girl, in which they subconsciously believed their opinions as such and did this. Or if it was more of a self-reflection of themselves that, when given the opportunity, they would continue to ostracize each other for the sake of a long-standing routine. At least in her personal belief, Willow knew this to be true for herself; there were several reasons for that, the most common answer, when provided an answer for the open-ended question, is the fact that the ebony-haired girl is used to traveling alone. It is something she has done for months, and until about a week ago, was planning on continuing to do.

That being said, everyday led the teenager to contemplate her reasonings for agreeing to travel with strangers. It could've been the awkwardness of her rejecting Morgan's offer. Or a glimpse of the opportunities that would arise from traveling with at least one person familiar with the Kanto region. Willow knew those were good excuses, but not the real reason.

She wondered, at least for a little bit, if it would continue to be like this for the duration the trio traveled together. The daylight providing the energy to bicker and bond, yet become a quiet, subdued evening where the main form of entertainment is falling back into everyone's personal thoughts.

A slow rustling emerged across from Willow. She looked up to see Moe rummaging through her backpack, before pulling out something hidden in her fist. Almost as if she knew she was being watched, she looked up in Willow's direction and smiled, opening the fist and waving with a small bottle in her hand.

"Yo." She greeted, a smile beginning to settle on her face.

Willow waved in return. Her eyes looked at the pill bottle, but before she knew it Moe had opened it, poured out two pills, and closed the bottle before throwing it back in the opened bag. The faux blonde threw the pills in her mouth almost carelessly, and then drank some of her water.

The teenager then stood up, stretching her limbs. "Sometimes I get migraines." Moe directly stated, finishing her stretch and fixing her glasses so they were back in their original place on her face. After bending over to zip her bag closed, she continued, "My mom says it's cause of some childhood trauma, but I don't really remember." She shrugs her shoulders, a lopsided smile on her face. "Who knows. I probably ran into a tree a thousand times or fell out of one trying to be a Mankey and messed something up in there." Moe points to her brain. "But sometimes when I do certain things it can trigger them. Sorry for acting like a dweeb earlier, I was just in pain."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Morgan." Was the first thing that came out of Willow. It didn't sound forced, but it was slightly awkward (at least, in her opinion). She stood up, but didn't say anything else to reply. It did continue to confirm one of her ideas about the other girl though; that is, she talks a lot but never gives specific details or enough to tell people much about herself. Just enough to ease in feign understanding in others.

Moe dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand. "Don't think too hard on it dude. Anyways, where's William?"

And for the first time since she sat down, Willow realized William had got up and walked away from the two after settling down in his spot.

Willow turned around, her small frame twisting in order for her to see all 360 degrees. "I actually don't know." She responded to the question, confusion surrounding it. "At one moment he was pulling his sleeping bag off. The next thing I know he was gone."

She turned back to look at Moe, who was bent over, petting the top of her Pokémon's head. Though there was no indication she heard Willow's response, the girl knew it was acknowledged with a short nod or a smile before attending to her Pokémon. Each day she was learning more about Moe's mannerisms.

Then, the audible rustling of bushes caught both of the girl's attentions. They all turned in the direction of Willow's belongings, since that was the original source of the sound. Willow and Indigo were more on edge compared to the other two standing behind them; Squirtle was standing in a similar fashion to its trainer, who was more nonchalant and relaxed. Though she couldn't see her face, Willow assumed Moe was more interested than anything.

The sound shouldn't have been so significant as they made it out to be, Willow thought to herself for a few seconds. They were somewhere in a large forest, where tons of Pokémon lived and trainers temporarily found shelter as they were traversing through to get to the other side. It may have simply been the proximity of the sound that both girls reacted to.

As they stood and waited, an Oshawott stumbled out of the bushes, a pile of branches and wood in its arms.

Willow sighed in relief as Moe laughed aloud. They all watched the Oshawott place the wood in the middle of the small clearing. It raced over to Squirtle, excited to see its friend again. Squirtle seemed to share similar feelings, its excitement recognized by it continuously calling " _Squirtle squirt!_ " and clapping. Even Indigo elegantly walked over to greet it's friend after not seeing it all day.

"A little help." Weakly called from behind the group. The girls turned around to see shaky arms carrying a larger pile of wood.

Almost immediately, Willow walked over to help the orange-haired teen, giggling a bit.

Standing in her place, Moe moved her sunglasses to push her hair away from her face and stared up, watching the sky transition into a calming orange and yellow between the thick leaves hanging from the Viridian Forest's trees. "Damn, that's a pretty sunset." She whispered aloud, crossing her arms and smiling up. Behind her, the trio of Pokémon were talking amongst themselves. In front of her, Willow and William were placing the wood down, getting ready to start a fire. It was an almost familiar scene, but Moe predicted she would find herself in the same situation, with different settings, in the near future.

* * *

The fire was still burning, the flame dimming and leaving the wood a heated sentiment. It kept the group warm from a distance.

Moe was staring straight ahead into a black sky, stars sprinkled across its canvas. As peaceful as it was, she had woken up from a loud cry erupting not too far from where they were camped out. She thought to herself how much time had passed since then, unable to come up with an accurate number. And refusing to look at her phone, she decided to count Mareep until sleep took over her again; that way, it wouldn't lead to her falling into her thoughts. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and so she decided to stand up and take a stroll.

Before she could take her first step, though, she noticed a small figure standing in front of the fire. It was small, and a bit round.

Quietly, and with a newfound interest, she tip-toed around the perimeter until Moe found herself at an angle where the Pokémon could see her and not be scared by her presence. As she stepped closer and closer, the Pokémon's attention was too consumed by the fire to notice. Once she was a couple feet away from it, she bent down, blonde hair illuminated by the dying flames. "Hi there." She whispered, smiling once she recognized the Pokémon.

In response, it turned, shocked, anxiously watching the newcomer. It began to shake, getting ready to release p-

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on there Lil' guy." Moe whispered, nervousness in her voice. She held one of her hands out, and slowly fell into a cross-legged position to become more comfortable. Afterwards, she turned around, looking to see if she had awoken anyone. Realizing she hadn't, she turned to face the Pokémon, a smile on her face.

The Pokémon stared, green spots illuminated by the fire as well. It stared for several minutes, watching the relentless trainer in front of it continue to sit, an open hand out. Slowly, it started taking a few steps towards Moe, little green legs carrying it until it was almost in front of Moe's hand. Beady black eyes stared at the girl.

She smiled back, and lowered her hand to match its height. "It's okay." She looked at it.

"Shroom?" It replied, looking away from the teenager to her companions and all the other Pokémon.

"We're all nice people." Moe continued, never moving or looking to see what the Pokémon was looking at. "I promise, we're all good people. And the Pokémon are really nice. You can hangout if you want to."

Shroomish looked back at Moe, before walking and rubbing itself on her hand. Smiling probably the most she had all day, she rubbed the side of its head, making sure to avoid the top of its head. Almost purring, Shroomish indulged heavily in the physical contact, content written all over its face.

In its excitement, though, the Shroomish released a small yellowish gas from the top of its head in the direction of Moe. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything but whisper to herself, "Is that stun spore?" before being consumed by the gas and falling forwards, immobile for a period of time.

The Shroomish stayed next to her, guilt written all over it's face, waiting for the effects to wear off with the faux-blonde.

* * *

" _Do you ever think you'll be able to discover all the Pokémon in the region?_ " Moe asked aloud to no one in particular, even though the question fit the description of William's goal the most.

The trio and their Pokémon were eating dinner, sitting closer to each other, and actively engaged in the conversation. " _I'd like to believe so_." William answered, taking a bite of his food. " _It'll definitely be a hard task, but not impossible._ "

He really did believe that, at least it's what he told himself. There were going to be a lot of challenges, of course, with any task as hand. Hopefully his studious background and insight gathered from studying underneath the two professors would be more beneficial than harmful.

" _What do you think Morgan?_ " Willow asked.

In his head, William believed the faux-blonde had an answer to the question she posed to the rest of the group already.

She hummed in response, looking as if she was lost in thought. " _There used to be this rumor about a boy who met all of the legendary Pokémon in the Kanto_ region _._ " She spoke, looking into the fire. " _He traveled the region, caught a ton of Pokémon, met a lot more, made tons of friends, and apparently met Ho-Oh, Moltres, Zaptos, and Articuno, just to give an example. When he continued his journey in a different region, he met a professor and learned that he had seen every Pokémon known in the Kanto region_ _._ "

No one had really said anything in response to her story. Neither of the other two trainers were from Kanto, so it was an unfamiliar story.

" _I'm not sure if it's true or not,_ " Moe continued, turning and looking at William, " _but I think you can do it, as long as you put your heart into it. I like to believe anything is possible in this world._ "

That may have been the nicest thing Moe had said to William thus far in their trip. It only took one week.

He wasn't exactly sure what moments led to the teenager stating her pipe dream beliefs about William aloud for everyone to hear, but it was a really endearing comment. He couldn't help but smile. " _Thanks Moe. I appreciate the confidence_."

She may not have verbally responded to that, but she flicked her sunglasses back on her face and continued to eat her dinner, probably trying to hide some of the endearing emotion she was letting out. At least, that's what William believes, even to this day.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to let me know what you're thinking!

As always, the application for this story (if you plan on submitting a character) is on my profile page (please PM).

From all the characters I have received, most of them will be placed in this continuous journey ultimately or be reoccurring in some way. If you would like a better idea of when to look out for them, just shoot me a PM!

Again, thanks for reading! I hope it was enjoyable and (kinda) worth the wait. Bye!

(Also, anyone excited about the new generation of Pokémon?! [can you believe we're already at gen8?] I don't have a Nintendo switch [con of being a college student] but I'm gonna save money for it so I can get one! Also Detective Pikachu is coming out soon! So much Pokémon this year!)


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